Executive Summary: Government Reform Starts with Data, Evidence

This is a summary of an article first published on December 26, 2024 in Federal News Network.

The U.S. government's sprawling bureaucracy and complex programs require an evidence- based overhaul to address inefficiencies, redundancies, and fraud. Despite numerous reports and recommendations from oversight bodies, progress has been slow. The lack of a unified data system compounded by poor data hygiene across agencies hinders effective management, decision-making, and accountability. It is past time for the government to stop driving with mud on the windshield, and steer its programs and operations using authoritative data and evidence. The government must create, and use a government-wide common operating picture (COP). 

This COP would serve as a centralized data hub, integrating information from various sources and providing a comprehensive view of government operations. By harnessing the power of data, evidence, and transparency, the COP would enable a new era of government that is more efficient, effective, and accountable to the public it serves. 

GAO and IG Independent Oversight Findings

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) and Inspectors General (IG) have identified thousands of specific evidence-based recommendations to improve efficiency, economy, and effectiveness, and reduce fraud, waste, and abuse. Many of these recommendations aim at program design and requirements, highlighting specific instances of overlap, redundancy, and duplication. Others describe inadequate controls to balance program integrity with the experience of the customer, contractor, or grantee. 

For example, the GAO estimates recent annual fraud of between $233 billion to $521 billion, or about 3% to 7% of federal spending. GAO and federal IGs have collectively identified hundreds of billions in potential cost savings or improvements not yet addressed by agencies. 

The Power of a Common Operating Picture

The COP would leverage modern data management and analytics, entity resolution, and artificial intelligence to create a dynamic and interconnected data ecosystem. This system would link budget, finance, procurement, human capital, and program performance, and oversight data and information, providing a holistic view of government operations.  By federating across agencies and enabling analysis and use of this data, the COP would offer several key benefits:

• Enhanced Efficiency: The COP would identify redundancies, overlaps, and inefficiencies across government programs, allowing for better resource allocation and streamlined operations.
• Fraud Reduction: By providing a clear picture of substandard controls, spending patterns and potential anomalies, the COP would help detect and prevent fraud, waste, and abuse.
• Improved Performance: The COP would enable data-driven decision-making, allowing agencies to track progress, identify areas for improvement, and enhance the effectiveness of their programs.
• Increased Accountability: The COP would promote transparency and accountability by providing a clear record of spending, performance, and oversight findings.

Moreover, the COP would enable agencies to develop a data-informed process for reviewing programs and enforcing accountability. This process would identify opportunities for improvement, address oversight recommendations, and learn from data and evidence. 

Building and Governing the COP

The proposed approach starts with current agency operating models, then drives into management process integration to tackle root causes of dysfunction from the bottom up. It recognizes that inefficiency, fraud, and other challenges are diffused, deeply embedded and have non-obvious interrelationships within the federal complex. 

The COP would provide a visualization of immediately available opportunities for programs and agencies to increase efficiency, reduce fraud, improve performance, and level up through benchmarking. Using the COP, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and agencies could develop and meaningfully scale an objective, ongoing and data-informed process of rating and reviewing specific risk-prioritized programs and operations across agencies. At the government-wide level, it could provide insight into opportunities within mission areas, geographies, and functions spanning agencies. 

Agencies should align their resources and contribution to the COP including elevating and building on their data analytics efforts, strengthening their adoption of data-centric architectures, and not falling into the trap of subordinating the COP to modernizing legacy information technology. 

Conclusion

The potential impact of this trillion-dollar reform opportunity is magnified by its focus on engaging the public, integrating their input, reflecting the government's actions, and showing results. By embracing data, evidence, and transparency, the COP would empower agencies to work more efficiently, effectively, and accountability, ultimately leading to better outcomes for the American people.